


Waiting at the Shore

by Trickster_Angel



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Canonical Character Death, F/M, Reunions, Synthesis Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-14
Updated: 2016-06-14
Packaged: 2018-07-15 02:07:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7201820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trickster_Angel/pseuds/Trickster_Angel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shepard breaks her promises. Thane keeps his.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Waiting at the Shore

_“And when you go to the sea, I will be waiting for you at the shore.”_

 

* * *

 

Destroy.

Control.

Synthesis.

Shepard stumbled forward slowly, her injuries hindering her movement. She thought of her choices. The fate of all the races in the galaxy were in her hands. And she had to make the right choice.

She could control the Reapers, make herself just like the child standing behind her.  It would kill her but she had no reservations about dying. To save the galaxy, dying would be worth it. But she thought of the Illusive Man, his delusions of power. She would become the catalyst. Could she do better than the child? Was her will strong enough? She didn’t know. She couldn’t do it.

She could destroy the Reapers, end all synthetic life in the galaxy. It was the original plan, what everyone wanted. She’d end the war with everyone’s approval. And if she was lucky, she just might live. But she thought of the peace she’d brokered between the Quarians and Geth. She thought of Legion’s sacrifice, what he wanted for his people. She thought of EDI, who was becoming more human with every question she asked. They would be gone if she did this. She couldn’t do it.

She could synthesize a new race, blur the lines between synthetics and organics. If she could secure a galaxy where there would be no fighting, no cycle, no synthetic/organic conflict, giving her life was a small price to pay.  The baby Krogans would grow up learning about the end of the cycle. Their parents would rest easy, knowing their future was secure. The Quarians and the geth could rebuild their homeworld together. The Quarians would tell their children how they once needed their suits to survive. The Turians, Asari, and humans would watch their worlds grow again, with the aid of the Reapers. She could do it.

She sprinted for the beam in the middle.

She thought of her friends: Liara, Tali, Garrus, EDI, James, Kaidan, Cortez, Traynor, Joker. They’d all go home, rebuild. They’d earned as much. But she didn’t want to see their faces, knowing she was gone. She didn’t want to watch them mourn her. After everything they lost, she would be gone too. And after all her assurances that she’d see them again. She had lied to them. She hoped they’d forgive her.

She thought of those who had joined her in the end: Miranda, Jacob, Samara, Jack, Grunt, Wrex. They had left her crew but came back to help her when it mattered most. She was sad to let them down. But she hoped they’d understand. They all knew sacrifices would be necessary.

She thought of those she’d lost: Ashley, Mordin, Legion. She would see them soon. She hoped they were waiting for her.

And she thought of Thane. Her lover, her friend, her squadmate. For so long, she could only think of him slumped on the ground, Kai Leng stabbing him, or watching him die in a hospital bed. Her chest would ache and she’d feel tears burn her eyes. But those pains were gone. She could feel him at her side as she ran. It wouldn’t be long now. She hoped Kalahira would take her to him.

She jumped.

It was freefall. Shepard could feel the beam tearing her apart, piece by piece. Ripping apart her skin, breaking her bones; she was being completely undone. But she felt no pain. This was peace.

She was being sent all across the galaxy. Everyone would have a piece of her. Let them cling to that and remember what she’d done. She didn’t mind dying for peace.

She fell.

She expected nothingness but instead, felt something cool enveloping her. She opened her eyes and looked around her. She was surrounded by dark blue. She exhaled and bubbles rose above her. It took a minute for her to understand where she was.

She was underwater. She took a deep breath but no water filled her lungs. Shepard looked around herself but saw nothing but blue. Under her, the water turned dark. There were no animals, no vegetation, nothing but her in the water. This wasn’t any ocean she had ever seen.

She looked above her and saw light trickling in. She swam up, until she broke the surface, taking a large gulp of air. She was in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by water as far as she could see. The sky was lit up yellow and pink and purple in a majestic sunset.

Nothing hurt anymore. She looked at her left arm, which had been all but mutilated in the attack. It was fine, the pale skin unblemished. She ran her hands through her hair. It was completely dry. She trailed her hands over her face, feeling for cuts but she felt none. Her legs kicked in the water, keeping her afloat. But they never felt tired.

She swam. She chose a direction and went. In the end, she doubted that it would matter which way she’d go. She knew she’d find what she was looking for.

She didn’t know how long she swam. It could have been days but she never felt the passage of time. She never grew tired and the sun never got lower in the sky. She finally saw land, a beach with white sand. And there was a figure standing there. Waiting for her.

“Thank you, Kalahira,” she whispered.

She swam forward until her feet could touch the bottom. There were no rocks, only soft sand beneath her feet. She ran as soon as she could, throwing herself into the arms of her lover. He held her up as she couldn’t trust herself to do so.

She didn’t say anything, just hugged him. She could feel herself crying. She couldn’t believe it. She’d watched him die, mourned him with everyone else and he was here again. She could touch him. She wasn’t alone anymore.  

“I missed you, Siha,” he said.

“Sorry to make you wait for me,” Shepard said, her voice shaking as she spoke. Tears poured from her eyes.

“You know I would have waited an eternity for you.” Thane smiled at her. “I did not think I would see you again so soon.”

She could hardly believe this. She was touching him, she could hear his voice, he called her “Siha”.  She thought this would never happen again. “Is this real? Are you really here?”

“Yes, Siha. I am. And if you are, then you ended your fight.”

“I did. The war is over. I made a sacrifice for peace. I only hope I made the right choice.”

“What did you do?”

“Oh, Thane, I have so much to tell you.”

**Author's Note:**

> First fic for a new fandom! I finished ME3 yesterday and I wanted to write a little something for these two. It's been way too long since I posted anything to AO3.  
> Thank you for reading. Please leave a comment or kudos if you liked it. :)


End file.
